There are a variety of adhesive transfer tapes commercially available today. Typically, adhesive transfer tapes are made by coating an adhesive composition on a differential release liner, i.e., a double-sided release liner where both major surfaces of the liner contain a release coating. The adhesive is coated to the side of the liner with the higher release value. After the adhesive composition is dried, the adhesive coated release liner is wound into a roll to yield the transfer adhesive. When unwinding the adhesive transfer tape, the adhesive remains attached to the side of the liner with the higher release value.
In use, the transfer adhesive is unwound and laminated to backings, such as paper, film, and foam. The transfer adhesive has higher adhesion to the backings than to the release liner and thus is transferred from the release liner to the backings. Transfer adhesives provide an advantage in that they can be applied to heat sensitive, moisture sensitive, or solvent sensitive backings. Because of these sensitivities, an adhesive composition cannot be applied directly to such backings having the sensitivities recited. Transfer adhesives can also be applied to backings by converters and laminators who do not have adhesive coating capability.